Empire

The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power

By: Niall Ferguson

Narrated by: Sean Barrett

The British Empire was the largest in all history: the nearest thing to global domination ever achieved. The world we know today is in large measure the product of Britain's age of empire. The global spread of capitalism, telecommunications, the English language, and the institutions of representative government - all these can be traced back to the extraordinary expansion of Britain's economy, population, and culture from the 17th century until the mid-20th.

On a vast and vividly colored canvas, Empire shows how the British Empire acted as midwife to modernity. Displaying the originality and rigor that have made him the brightest light among British historians, Ferguson shows that far from being a subject for nostalgia, the story of the Empire is pregnant with lessons for the world today - in particular for the United States as it stands on the brink of a new kind of imperial power. A dazzling tour de force, Empire is a remarkable reappraisal of the prizes and pitfalls of global empire.

©2002 Niall Ferguson (P)2012 AudioGO

great from a British perspective

an excellent overview of the British Empire with a very strong British emphasis. the failure which can be understood is that it minimizes many of the British negatives of the Empire and maximizes any benefits which come from it.

Great

This was a very good book with an unbiased view of the history of this great empire. Ferguson does not hide the sins of Britain, but at the same time is bold in recognize the outstanding value of the Empire to the modern world. Britain and his Empire were not perfect, but gave to the world great contributions and is questionable how better is the world after their end.

exceptional nuance and a wealth of fascinating quotes

Ferguson gives an amazing, multifaceted, and nuanced coverage of the British Empire, all shockingly well tied together with a fairly novel take on what the future of our international order ought to look like

Many try and unilaterally

Write off and blame the British empire for today’s issues. The Middle East troubles and highlight the drawing of new maps on a napkin, Neil fairly analyses both the good and bad of the empir. A great listen

Delightfully and accidently nationalistic

Fun stories, good sinew to connect them. So genuine was the telling. I’d reread it twice.